Lewis nathan



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS NATHAN,

OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE CUBA MARBLE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ART OF MANUFACTURING ARTIFICIAL MARBLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 396,225, dated January 15, 1889. Application filed June 4, 1888. Serial No. 276,040. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS NATHAN, a citizenof the United States of America, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Manufacturing Artificial Marble, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the art of manufacturing artificial marble; and it has for its object the production in a cheap,

simple, and expeditious manner of an artificial marble suitable for indoor decorations,

columns, pedestals, plumbers slabs, mantels,

I 5 and in fact for nearly er'ery purpose for which real marble is used.

The invention consists in the elimination of the alum inherent in the cement of which the artificial marble is made prior to the application of the polishing material.

It is well known that the cement used in the manufacture of artificial marble-such as Keenes, Martins, Parian, and in fact all otherscontains a small per cent. of alum.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, this alum has never been extracted from the marble material before the application of the polishing material nor at any stage of the manufacture. The result of the presence of alum in the marble material is that when the marble is polished and set up in use the alum makes its appearance on the surface through the polish in unsightly splotches and streaks, and thus in a great measure destroys the marble imitation.

3 5 By my invention I avoid this very serious defeet and produce a marble which at all times retains its original appearance.

In the manufacture of artificial marble I make use of any of the ordinary cements 4o usually employed for that purpose and mix,

color, and vein in any suitable manner. If,

for example, I wish to make a veined white marble, I first place before me a piece of real marble that I wish to reproduce. Then I place the mixed material in basins and tint according to the colors in the real marble, af-

. ter which I pass the contents of the basins separately through a fine sieve in order to thoroughly distribute the tint. I use a slate 5o slab rubbed down to a smooth surface to make the marble on. The face of the slab should be well saturated with lard-oil to prevent the marble from adhering to it. After the bench is thus prepared I cut threads (which I call thrums) of the lengths of the veins designed to be produced, and these thrums I draw through a stain composed of ivory-black and ultramarine-blue mixed with water until they are thoroughly saturated and then pass them through the hand to take out the water. Then, by the aid of an assistant, I open out the thrums as near as possible to the shapes of the veins in the marble I am copying and place them on the bench. After the thrums have been thus placed on the bench I press them down closely onto it by means of a trowel. I then take one of the tints and splash it over the thrums and bench, doing likewise with all the tints until the bench is completely covered, hiding the thrums from view. I then draw out the thrums, which leaves spaces where they have been, and these spaces I fill up with a dark slate color, which I produce by squeezing the thrums as they are withdrawn fro-m the marble thus formed on the bench. I then "cry carefully smooth the marble down level and place a piece of cheese-cloth over it in such manner that the cloth touches it at all points, and over the cloth I spread coarse gypsum, which I let stand for about a quarter of an hour in order to draw all moisture from the marble. I then lift the cloth with the gypsum upon it, and if there should be any cracks in the marble I close them by patting with the hand.

The process of filling in the back is next in order. This is done by mixing coarse gypsum to the consistency of ordinary plaster-such as is used in walls of buildings, which is laid on the marble and rubbed in well with the 0 hand to make it adhere to the marble, after which it is smoothed down to the desired thickness. It is then allowed to stand for twelve hours or more enough to partially harden italthough it would not injure the 5 marble if allowed to stand longer; but it should in no case be removed under twelve hours. I then take the marble from the bench and place it against a straight and level support to prevent it from warping and twisting. IOO After'it is exposed to the atmosphere for a few hours it will become hard and ready for rubbing down the face to clear it of smears and blotches, with which it is usually covered. Aside from clearing the marble, this rubbing down causes the veins to stand out clear and fine. Plenty of water should .be used in thus rubbing down the marble; otherwise the slush which is scoured from the face of the marble will remain in the air-holes which are likely to appear in the face and prevent the mastic coating from setting. The marble is then sprinkled with a mastic and rubbed with a rag to fill these holes. The marble is then allowed to stand for about twenty-four hours and is then rubbed with a Scotch hone, in order to free the face of scratches, after which the surface is washed with water and the mastic again sprinkled overit and rubbed off with a cloth for the last time. After I have thus rubbed the marble down, applied the mastic to fill the pores, and again rubbed it down to smooth the mastic, I proceed to extract the alum, which I do by drawing it to the surface and then removing it. One convenient and effective way of doing this is to subject the marble material to a high degree of heatsay about 140 Fahrenheit-in a closed room. The heat will draw the alum to the surface, Where it will stand out boldly, when it may be gently rubbed with a fine abrading material and alcohol or other like volatile fluid, which will disintegrate the alum without injuring the smooth surface of the marble, as the volatile fluid will evaporate without leaving a stain. The surface may then be wiped with a dry cloth, when the marble will be ready for the polishing material, which may be applied in any ordinary manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing artificial marble hereinbefore set forth, which.co11sists in subjecting the marble before applying the polishing material to the action of heat to draw the alum contained in the marble material to the surface and then removing the alum.

2. The improvement in the art of manufacturing artificial marble hereinbefore set forth, which consists in honing down the face of the marble, then applying a mastic to fill the pores, then subjecting the marble to the action of heat in order to draw the alum contained in the marble material to the surface, then removing the alum, and fin ally applying the polishing material.

The improvement in the art of manufacturing artificial marble hereinbefore set forth,which consists in honing down the face of the marble, then applying a mastic to fill the pores, then smoothing the mastic, then subjecting the marble to the action of heat in order. to draw the alum contained in the marble material to the surface, then removing the alum by means of a fine abradingmaterial and a volatile fluid, and finally applying the polishing material.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS NATHAN.

lVitnesses:

EDWIN WILsON, \VILLIAM MoLLoY. 

